Ghostly visitation
by CutePoison
Summary: Spoiler for season 2 premiere Please review!


He forced himself awake. He had been dreaming of  
Veronica again. He rubbed a hand against his  
stubbled head and glancing over at his sleeping  
wife Anna, he slipped silently from beneath  
the thin blankets.

He shut the door quietly,  
so as not to disturb her and padded barefoot in to  
the living room. LJ lay sprawled on the couch  
sleeping, the television playing at low volume.  
Pausing briefly, he stared down at his son.  
He felt a surge of love rush through him,  
as he thought how proud he was of LJ.

He would be going back to school soon.  
The summer was almost over. This would be LJ's  
2nd year studying law. When Lincoln had asked him  
why he wanted to be a lawyer, he had simply said,  
"So I can help people, Dad". He knew LJ had stopped  
himself before saying, "like Veronica".

LJ had been hurt by V's death. He knew how much  
he had cared for her, how much she had affected  
his son's life, all of their lives.  
LJ was an amazing young man. Veronica would be  
so proud, he told himself as he continued silently  
on his way to the back door.

He slid the patio door open and not bothering  
to put on his shoes, he stepped out onto the deck.  
He always came here after dreaming of Veronica.  
Somehow the fresh air seemed to help clear his head.  
He placed his hands on the deck railing  
and took a deep breath,  
as the night air caressed his bare skin.

It had been 3 yrs. since his exoneration. 3yrs.  
since he had lost her.  
He knew he needed to let her go. That he needed  
to get on with his life. And that was what he had  
been trying to do. He had found a wonderful woman  
to share his life with. Anna, who was both thoughtful ,  
and caring. She just wasn't...No, he told himself.  
He shouldn't compare Anna to Veronica. It wasn't fair.  
Anna deserved better. She shouldn't have to compete  
with the memory of a dead woman.

His thoughts then went back to the last  
conversation he had had with Veronica.  
She had spoken with such conviction telling him  
she had found Steadman...'alive'. That he needed  
to turn himself in. That he would be exonerated.  
And then those last heart wrenching words...  
"Oh, my Gd"...followed by gunshots..  
He squeezed the deck railing, heedless of splinters,  
his knuckles turning white. They had never found  
her body. She had never been laid to rest.  
He had never had the chance to say goodbye...

That was what bothered him the most.  
He should have been able to say  
goodbye to her...his best friend.  
He squeezed his eyes shut and gave in to  
the tears, his body shaking in his silent pain...

He felt her arms wrap gently around him from behind.  
And she rested her head between his shoulder  
blades, as she hugged him to her. She was trying to  
comfort him, his Anna.

She pressed her lips softly against his bare skin,  
as he leaned in to her embrace. He took his  
hands from the railing and placed them over hers.  
They felt so small, much smaller than he knew  
Anna's hands to be. He felt his breath catch as  
her hair moved against his skin.  
Hair much longer than Anna's.  
Hair like...

He was afraid to let go of her, afraid to  
turn around. But he had to see he, he had to know.  
he brought her hands gently to his lips  
and kissed them.  
Then letting them drop, he closed his eyes  
and turned around.

He forced himself to open his eyes, to look at her.  
But when he did, there was no one there.  
She was gone.  
But he knew that she had been there.  
Veronica had come to comfort him once again.  
Despite what he thought now, he knew that  
in the morning he would convince himself it  
had all been a dream...

The next morning he awoke to the delicious  
aroma of blueberry pancakes. He smiled.  
He knew LJ must have had some part in the  
breakfast preparations. He rolled out of bed  
and headed for the  
shower. He turned on the water and as he waited  
for it to heat up,  
he flexed his muscular arms, admiring himself  
in the mirror.

He decided he must be feeling silly this morning  
as he struck pose after pose like a bodybuilder,  
for his own amusement.  
His body was turned sideways when he noticed it.  
Standing frozen in a silly pose, he stared at it.  
They were faint, but visible. Lip prints...lipstick prints.

His mind raced. Maybe Anna had kissed him  
before heading down to start breakfast?  
But, no. Anna rarely wore lipstick, and never  
such a dark shade. He sank to the floor as the  
bathroom filled with steam.  
It hadn't been a dream...she had really been there.  
Veronica had come to him last night.  
Oh, Gd how he missed her!

He sat there with tears running down his face,  
as the smell of blueberry pancakes grew  
stronger in the steamy air.  
They would be calling him down to breakfast soon.  
He told himself to get up, and into the shower,  
but he couldn't move.  
Then he looked up at the steam fogged mirror  
and his heart ached like never before.  
Written in the steam were three words...  
"Goodbye my love"...

"Goodbye Veronica", he whispered into the steam,  
as the words slowly faded away...


End file.
